Computer games and digital game cultures: An introduction

Abstract

“The predominant majority of all visitors to the fair, however, are dressed in the computer gamers’ standard look: dark sloppy rags sometimes smelling a bit foul” - this is how visitors to the computer convention “Gamescom," which took place in Cologne in August 2011, were characterized in a television report of the private German RTL channel. Fans of computer games were also described as really curious figures that had few social contacts and would not be successful in finding girlfriends. The reaction of the gamers’ community came promptly: innumerable complaints and often angry protests were articulated via e-mail, social networks, and other channels like www.programmbeschwerde.de. RTL and the editorial journalist had to take in back and publish an apology.